Tuesday, January 3, 2017

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We had so much fun over Christmas break. Our kids had two full weeks off and enjoyed every minute of it. We had snow and presents and basketball tournaments and time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. So much fun:) Of course the highlight was Christmas day. Because we had 10:00 am church, mom and dad actually woke the kids up this year! This has never happened before and will likely never happen again:). The kids came upstairs to discover that Santa is helping us out with our vacation that we've been planning for the last eight months! Yay! Our entire family (except Elli :( who doesn't travel well) will be going on a family cruise over spring break. All the kids have also been pitching in and earning money to help. We'll be going on a six-night Western Caribbean cruise with ports of call in Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Costa Maya. So exciting!!!

After seeing what Santa brought we got ready and went to a beautiful church meeting with some amazing and inspiring musical numbers and beautiful talks as well. When we came home the kids opened presents they had purchased for each other. This was such a fun experience as a parent. All of the kids seemed more excited to give their presents than to receive. It was awesome. We drew names out of a hat early in December and each child gave presents to three other kids. Most of the pictures below are from this part of the day.

I love Christmas!

As they do every year, our dear laundry fairies brought us jammies for Christmas Eve. So comfy! I wore mine for about 48 hours straight:). You would think laundry fairies would be wary of giving us more things for them to wash, right ;)

Somehow these six ended up in a tangled mass after the pictures...

Too cool in her new sunglasses and soft blanket:

Elli loves musical toys. The kids are all so attentive to her needs.

Sophi got Xander some bongos:

This was one of Taylor's top requests: a Baby Groot dashboard bobble head:)

Some perfume and mascara from Parker. Can't believe how fast they grow up!

Excited to open a present from Cali:

Graci is always needing more art supplies:

Anything Moana was at the top of Sophi's list:

Sophi could hardly contain herself as Cali began to open the huge present that Sophi had wrapped herself, only to discover...

...that Sophi had fooled Cali by putting a tiny iPhone case in such a large package. She's probably the first person to ever pull that trick!

I love watching Sophi use those talented toes of hers:

Lexi is pretty much the most joyful person on the entire planet. Her exuberance completely lights up a room:

Sometimes Conner and Jessica find it a bit challenging to get along, so Christi and I were happy when Jesi drew Conner's name. She got him a Marauder's Map case for his phone:

Taylor and Parker got matching backpacks:

Taylor got Xander some clip-on heelies.

Parker got a guitar book from Jessica:

Sophi and Conner were both super excited about the magnetic building kit that Conner got for Soph!

Bop it! The best game for kids who are visually impaired!

A Gryffindor shirt. So many Harry Potter fans in our home!

Jesi was pretty excited about her new curling wand:

Conner got Graci a Moana snow globe:

Love these two together! Is it any wonder they are sometimes mistaken for twins?

Conner and Lexi both enjoy Bop It! toys. They are quite amazing with them. In the video, I love Conner's response when he loses, but feels like he actually did it right.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year for so many reasons. I'm so grateful the world in general celebrates Christ's birth together and that so many people serve each other in so many different ways. Acting out the nativity on Christmas Eve is one of our favorite traditions. I also love how His spirit seems to permeate everything during this season. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that 2017 is a wonderful year!

When we fell in love 20 years ago, we started down a path that has been challenging, exhausting, and breathtakingly beautiful. Here we chronicle the blessings and stressings of parenting some pretty amazing children. We think they're the perfect travel companions as we look forward to the next fork in the road. Welcome to our journey.

Jeremy and Christianne

Taylor Jeremy--18

Parker Matthew--17

The red-headed social butterfly, he's our all-star athlete, top student, outdoor-loving, spunky second-born, with a heart of pure gold!

Jessica Anne "Jesi"--14

Our little princess with the big smile, Jesi loves fashion, friends, hanging with her siblings, and vacations. She sparkles!

Jacob Michael-- 6/8/2004

Little one of heavenly birth, born too soon to bloom on earth. You have taught us so much--we love you, Jacob!

Emily Anne "Emmy"--9/28/2005

Emily's exquisite little hands and feet have left their mark in this world. Her body was tiny, but her spirit enormous. We miss her!

Elizabeth Mei "Elli"--13

Elli's world may be dark, but she's the light of our lives! Lover of music, chocolate, and new toys, she fights a courageous battle with autism while bringing joy to all who know her!!

Gracelin Kate "Graci"--19

Showing true grace throughout her battles with heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, our Gracester is loved by everyone! She's smart, gorgeous, friendly, and has faith to move mountains!

Alexander Philip "Xander"--12

With a spunk and smile that could outmatch anyone's, our Xander has not let Cloves Syndrome get the best of him. He's a talented chef, a caring friend to MANY, our best helper, and is full of teenage humor.

Alexis Li "Lexi"--13

Meet the friendliest girl on the planet! Blind from birth, Lexi amazes all of us with her braille skills, determination, talents, but mosly by the way she spends her days SMILING. She is an angel in every way. We are thrilled to have our darling daughter home six years from China!!

Sophia Breanne "Sophi"--9

Her eyes called out to us from half-way around the world. Little Sophi is growing up and we would do anything to freeze her in time! She's beautiful, smart, and coy and can do amazing things with her toes! She has inspired people all around the world and we can't believe she is ours. Sophi = perfection.

Calais Rose "Cali"--17

Charming Cali joined our family in December of 2012. This girl is beautiful both inside and out. Born with spina bifida, Cali is confined to a wheelchair, but that does not keep her from enjoying life to the fullest. She is smart, opinionated, strong, and lovely in every way. She is a light in our family and a magnet for handsome young men!

Conner Allen-- 17

Meet our newest addition! Home three years from China, Conner makes us wonder what we ever did without him. Blind from birth, he will blow you away with his incredible talent on the piano. He is sweet, witty, girl-crazy, kind and finally, OURS! We love you, Conner!

The Dog

Baxter-- 6 months

She begged and pleaded and wrote letter after letter telling us why she NEEDED a dog, and Sophi finally got her wish! Meet Baxter, the cutest mini-audssiedoodle on the planet.